What is "Daifuku", a keyword for identifying hoaxes in the event of a disaster?

"Daifuku" is a keyword that appeared in a junior high school class in Tokyo.

If you are not careful about this, it may cause trouble for many people.

Why is the malicious hoax spreading?

"The zoo fired a lion because of the earthquake."

It is a hoax posted on Twitter immediately after the Kumamoto earthquake, which has been 5 years since the occurrence on the 14th of this month.

Information on the lie spread quickly, and the zoo, where the lion was alleged to have fled, was flooded with inquiries, and police were also informed that the lion was fleeing and could not evacuate.

Should be good intentions ...

Why is such a hoax spreading?

Experts point out that the false information disseminated on SNS in the event of a disaster is not disseminated only to malicious people.

Associate Professor Shingo Shioda of the Faculty of Education, Shizuoka University said, "In many cases, the spread of hoaxes is not only due to malicious intent, but also because of the sense of mission that we want to be useful. We need the ability to identify the right information. "

Is it more noticeable in the younger generation?

And there is also a survey result that the younger the generation, the more they believe in hoaxes and tend to spread.

In a survey conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications last May, they believed in false information that was actually disseminated regarding the new coronavirus, such as "the government locks down" and "drinking water frequently is effective in preventing it." The proportion of people was higher in the younger generation.

The rate of disseminating the false information also tended to increase in the younger generation.

Classes for children

Associate Professor Shioda of Shizuoka University, in collaboration with the LINE Mirai Foundation, which works on information education, uses independently developed teaching materials to teach younger generations how to identify SNS information. I am doing.

This class was held at Iko Junior High School in Adachi-ku, Tokyo on the 9th.

As the typhoon was approaching, we conducted training to determine whether the information found on SNS should be disseminated on the assumption that disaster information is being collected on smartphones.

Several cards in the shape of a smartphone screen are dealt, and posts on SNS such as "the river is about to overflow" are classified into high-reliability and low-reliability.

Then discuss in a group why you think so.

Students commented that "hearsay information heard from people is unreliable" and "official accounts such as city halls can be trusted".

On the other hand, there was an opinion that "even if it is an individual post that is not an official account, there is a correct one, but I do not know how to judge it."

Points to identify information

In the class, keywords for identifying information in the event of a disaster were introduced.

It is "Da-i-fuku".

"Who is saying?"

When are you saying "yes"?

"Fuku" Did you confirm multiple pieces of information?

Both are important points.

"Who is saying?"

Check for suspicious points by looking at past posts on

the account, whether it's an official account of a municipality or news agency, or an account of a university researcher or individual

.

"When are you saying?"

In the event of a disaster, the situation changes from moment to moment, so the correct information may become incorrect in a few hours, so it is necessary to confirm the information at what point in time.

"Did you check multiple pieces of information?"

Check out different media, such as TV or newspapers, and see if the same post is just retweeted or if multiple people are sending the same information.

For example, even if the information "River flooded" was posted on a personal account, the reliability of the information will increase if multiple people in the same area post the same content.

A girl student who took the class said, "I saw on the internet that the new corona would run out of toilet paper, and I almost believed it, so I was worried about how to check the information. I learned in class. I want to be careful about the keywords and be able to judge for myself. "

Associate Professor Shioda, who finished the class, said, "10 years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the usage of SNS has changed significantly, and the importance of SNS in the event of a disaster is increasing. Children who are accustomed to SNS are fooled by hoaxes. I want them to not be done, and to go one step further and play a role in disseminating correct information and contributing to disasters. "